Acceptance and Remembrance
by Tyrchon
Summary: Accepting what life has given and remembering what has been lost, three friends stand together once again. What are the things best remembered when looking back? Oneshot


_Disclaimer_: Naruto is the rightful property of its respected owners and creator; I merely play in the world they created and am thankful for it.

_Acceptance and Remembrance_

A lone figure stood atop the Hokage tower. Considered the hub of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden amongst the Leaves, the tower seemed to beam in the mid-afternoon sun as many of its occupants busied themselves with the daily workings that kept the ninja village running. Yet of all those who work in the tower the one standing now on the roof top veranda was indeed the most important.

Indeed the figure whose gaze was locked upon the silent stone faces of the mountain that overshadowed the bustling village was in fact the Hokage himself. Considered to be the strongest ninja within Konoha the man had proven his worth time and time again. Yet, despite all of the strength the man possessed and his own indomitable will of fire, he could not help feel tired.

It had been nearly a decade since he had taken up the position and the years before and since had taken their toll. Gone was the baby-fat that had once marked his face, replaced instead by bronzed weathered skin that was just beginning to show the wrinkles and ravages of age. His eyes, which one may have described once as having the fires of youth and mischief in them, held a hard won wisdom. That is not to say that the man was any less of a troublemaker, rather he now confined his jokes in a way that they could be used to give instruction and wisdom to his villagers, both ninja and civilian alike. Though he had been known on occasion to break from this protocol just to rile up his advisors and the village council, often stating afterwards that things had just gotten a little too dull for his tastes.

However, it was not a new set of pranks nor was it plans of battle that he was now contemplating as he looked upon the faces of his predecessors. Rather it was reflection that had brought him to gaze upon those who had founded and guided the village before he had taken up the mantle. As he drew upon his memories he noticed the slight rustle of cloth and faint sound of leather hitting stone that signaled the arrival of two others upon the terrace that he now stood upon.

For a man that knew he was a possible target of assassination both from enemies outside of his beloved village as well as those that resided within, he did not even let a thought of worry enter his mind as he had noticed the arrival of the two before they had even stepped foot onto the rooftop. Not that he had any cause to worry with these two individuals primarily because they had been two of his oldest and most rusted companions. They had faced the Konoha Ninja Academy together and as luck would have it had ended up upon the same genin team. That team which now stood together as they had through countless times before, had become arguably the best team of their generation and had faced down test after test of their skills at one point even having to face each other in a clash that was now a favorite story of the children of the village. The secondary reason that the man had no worry of harm from the other two was that he knew for a fact that they were not foolish enough to fight him again. While they could come close to matching, possibly even exceeding his own abilities in certain areas of ninja skill, they could not match him overall. That and a platoon of elite personal ANBU bodyguards that were poised in hiding to end the lives of any who would dare raise a hand against him also brought some semblance of comfort. Though, those same bodyguards did become somewhat of an annoyance, especially when he was trying to duck the hazardous duty known as paperwork in order to have a little fun.

Seeing as he would not say the first word and his male former teammate was known for speaking only when he though it pertinent, it was his female former teammate that decided to break the silence.

"Konohamaru-kun, even though you may have become Hokage you can't just decide to leave your office whenever you feel like not doing paperwork. Especially, since you know very well that one of the most important festivals that Konoha ever holds will occur at the end of the week."

Hearing the irate tone in her voice Konohamaru, grandson of the Third Hokage and presently the Seventh Hokage turned to face his friend and former teammate, Moegi, though he did so with a slight shudder knowing full well that she had gained a slightly violent side having trained under one Haruno Sakura many years ago.

Standing next to Moegi was his other friend and former teammate, Udon. Even though Udon had not said anything Konohamaru knew instinctively that while he could always count on Udon's loyalty and support it was very unlikely that the man who seemed to constantly suffer from hay fever would interpose himself between Konohamaru and Moegi. This was mainly because Udon himself knew what it was like to be on the wrong end of Moegi when she was angry and to invite such a thing marked one as being somewhat insane even for a ninja of Konoha.

Seeing as he would get no help at the present Konohamaru thought it best to placate the perturbed kunoichi and defensively brought up his hands in a slight wavy motion as if such an action could ward of an impending scolding and thumping to his head.

"Moegi-chan, what a pleasant surprise I had just stepped out for some air when you…"

"Save the excuses for someone who doesn't know you as well as we do Konohamaru, if I wanted excuses and sass then I would go check up on how my children are doing. I know from inquiring from your assistants that you have been out of your office for at least an half an hour if not longer since the Kage Bunshin that they found dispelled upon accidentally sticking itself with a paperclip. Udon and I were just on our way to see you when your assistants came out worried that you had disappeared again or worse possibly kidnapped or killed. They were ready to have the entire shinobi force in Konoha at present begin searching for you, luckily Udon and I told them that it was unlikely that you had befallen any harm and that we would be able to locate you faster than inciting a massive shinobi search would."

Seeing that Moegi was ready to blow a gasket Udon decided that now would be a perfect time to act as the pressure release valve and save Konohamaru from the more than possible thumping and strangling that would come at Moegi's hands. Coughing slightly to get the attention of both a cowering Hokage and a near rabid retired kunoichi Udon interjected in the only manner he knew would save the situation, redirect the focus.

"It's only been a few years since the boss passed away, hasn't it?"

That one simple sentence immediately cooled down Moegi's temper and brought Konohamaru back to his reflective mood that had been interrupted by the pair. Standing up from where he had crouched to avoid any of Moegi's blows he looked back towards the face on the monument that directly preceded his own before speaking the thoughts he had been dwelling on during his time of reflection.

"I can't tell some days whether it feels like forever since we saw his smiling face and heard his laughter or if it only feels like yesterday that he called me into his office, placed the triangle hat of the Hokage on my head saying that it was my time and grinning like he always did to acknowledge me. I remember asking why now and him telling me that I was the right person for the job and that he wanted to see me become Hokage before he died. I remember telling him that I wouldn't accept it that he couldn't just die, I thought he was joking at the time. I remember him taking me to that old training ground where he taught me my first lesson about being a Hokage when I was just a snot-nosed punk and he had just become a genin. I remember the fight we had and how I won even though I knew he far superior to me. I yelled at him for taking it easy on me and that I would earn the title of Hokage in a fight with him like I promised all those years ago. I remember he then grabbed me by the shoulder before I could leave and told me that I had earned it, that I had beaten him in our fight, and that he had given all he had. It wasn't until that moment that I noticed just how bad of condition he was in; even though I knew that I hadn't done that much damage to him. He told me then and there of how he was dieing and that there wasn't anything I or anybody else could do about it and how he wanted to make sure that the village was going to be safe in the hands of another. I felt so many things at that moment. I was angry because he couldn't just die there had to be someway, someone who could help. I was sad because I knew he was telling the truth and that this wasn't one of his pranks where we would all have a good laugh because of it. I felt pride that he would tell me such things a think that I was good enough to replace someone as great as him."

Moegi and Udon moved to stand supportively by their oldest friend seeing silent tears rolling down his cheeks, knowing that the circumstances of him becoming Hokage and the subsequent death of Uzumaki Naruto had hit him harder than even Konohamaru himself was willing to admit. One had to wonder what it meant to him to lose someone that had been at one time a playful rival and at others a caring elder brother. The death of one of the most well respected and beloved Hokages had indeed hit the entire village hard.

Uzumaki Naruto had been many things in his life. He had started out as both a hero and a scapegoat for one of the greatest disasters in Konoha's history. He had proceeded to become the number on prankster of Konoha and then it's most unpredictable ninja. He had become friend to many and a hero both inside and outside of the village for his courage, determination, and optimism. While many would mark his greatest achievements as those like the final defeat of the insane criminal organization known as Akatsuki or the returning of Uchiha Sasuke to the forces of Konoha or any number of deeds that he had done on the field of battle, it was the creation of a network of friends and even a family that Naruto himself thought to be his greatest accomplishment. Yet his years of battle had exerted a demanding price. The use of the chakra of the Kyuubi no Kitsune had saved Naruto, his friends, his family, and his village many times, yet it was the same power that had often healed him that caused the massive cellular breakdown that would cause his passing. Having taken over the position of Hokage from the Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage, upon his twentieth birthday Naruto held the position until he turned forty-five years old. Upon that birthday Naruto had announced his intention to retire and publicly named Konohamaru his successor as the Seventh Hokage. He had explained why to the gathered villagers and promised to help Konohamaru as an advisor for as long as he could. For five years he held the position of chief advisor until finally on a beautiful summer day only months away from his fifty-first birthday Uzumaki Naruto passed away.

He was first discovered by the man Naruto would call his best friend and brother as well as teme on occasion, Uchiha Sasuke. The older 'Rookie Nine' plus Team Gai would meet weekly in one of the training grounds to picnic and reminisce about the 'good old days'. It was there that Sasuke found Naruto sitting by a training log as if asleep. Ready to make a crack about growing old Sasuke soon realized the truth of the situation. When the other members of the little group of shinobi arrived they found a sight that no one had seen prior or since, Uchiha Sasuke was sitting on the ground holding his best friend and weeping openly. It would later be determined, through both interviews with friends and family as well as the medical autopsy that Naruto had left his home and family that day to arrive early for the weekly get together. Upon arriving at the training ground he had fallen asleep sitting in front of the training post where he was found. While sleeping his heart simply gave out and he passed away painlessly roughly twenty minutes before the arrival of Uchiha Sasuke.

The funeral held for Uzumaki Naruto, the Sixth Hokage and most unpredictable ninja of Konoha, was an affair that no one who was actually there could ever possibly forget. Attending were of course Naruto's wife and children, the 'Rookie Nine', Team Gai, the surviving former jounin sensei's of those teams plus Naruto's favorite academy teacher Umino Iruka, a delegation from Sunagakure lead by the Fifth Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara, himself, a delegation from Yuki no Kuni lead by the ruling Princess Fujikaze Yukie, and a delegation from Nami no Kuni lead by a boy turned man by the name of Inari. It is important to note that these were just the most well known and easily seen groups as not only did the entire village of Konoha turnout to say farewell to their beloved Sixth Hokage, but a slew of uncountable individual friends that Naruto had made throughout his life came to pay their everlasting respect.

While tears of sorrow were plentiful the outpouring of affection and the reminiscing and retelling of stories about him brought back memories to many of the greatest times that they had ever had. Many delighted in retelling of the many pranks that Naruto had pulled whilst a young student at the Konoha Ninja Academy, though this has subsequently been blamed for a string of pranks pulled by many of the students since then. Sabaku no Gaara told one of the greatest and most listened to tales when he recounted his first meeting and subsequent loss to Naruto during the Chunin exams and the Sound-Sand invasion. Many were touched by how deeply the aging Kazekage felt upon learning that he wasn't alone and made his first true friend in Uzumaki Naruto. However, the greatest tale told that day came from Uchiha Sasuke himself when he retold the tale of how he and Naruto had started their ninja careers and how Naruto ended up becoming the friend and brother needed to pull Sasuke back from the darkness that had consumed his life. Upon finishing the tale Uchiha Sasuke made one final statement before retiring to continue mourning in peace.

"I have been seen by many people as many things, but the one I am proudest of is being called best friend and brother of Uzumaki Naruto. He was my friend, my compatriot, my true brother and I knew that he would and did so many things for me that I could not do for myself and I can only hope that I was and can be as good and true a friend, husband, and person as he was. I can never repay him for all of the things he did for me and I can only hope that all of you who can hear me will find for themselves a friend who is as true and noble as Naruto was."

As many of the people gathered contemplated these words and how their own lives measured up, as many who had best known Naruto added this to what they knew and thought of him, Uchiha Sasuke added one last comment on the matter.

"Oh, and before any of you think that I have gone soft or lost my edge all I have to say is that wherever that Dobe is right now he is probably pissed as hell and swearing up a storm because he fell died after falling asleep and not after having that stupid 'Ultimate Ramen Eating Tournament' that he made me participate in."

This final statement garnered strange looks from many. However, those who had known Naruto the longest laughed loudly as they were reminded of a small incident back when they were all much younger in which both Naruto and Sasuke had ended up with bulging stomachs full of ramen and Naruto had claimed the mantle of "Ultimate Ramen Connoisseur' after eating an amazing sixty bowls of Ichiraku Ramen, a feat which has yet to be beaten, and Sasuke, right before becoming violently sick, complained that Naruto must have cheated some way since he himself had only been able to consume sixteen bowls.

A smiling Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon stood atop the Hokage tower looking up at the stone face of the one ninja they had ever called boss. Chuckling as they remembered all of the great times they had had following after him and then hearing the tales of his adventures, even though he did have a habit of exaggerating some of the details. They also thought about the festival at the end of the week. The festival was appropriately on the tenth of October and had replaced the old Kyuubi Victory festival shortly before Naruto's eighteenth birthday. Now known as Hokage Day the festival began on October tenth and would continue for three days while the villagers and attending guests celebrated the vision and virtue put forward by the Hokages that ruled Konohagakure, especially the vision and virtues of the Sixth Hokage himself which many regarded as having rekindled Konoha's will of fire into a great roaring bonfire that had brought Konoha into a new golden age of prosperity.

It was Konohamaru who finally broke the train of thought by suggesting that he needed to get back to work so that the village and more importantly the Hokage himself would be able to enjoy the festival this year. This was a statement which cause both Moegi and Udon to look at their watches and realize that they had spent nearly the entire afternoon atop the tower reminiscing. Needless to say Moegi was more than a little miffed and it didn't help that Konohamaru had escaped back to his office before she could properly thump him for skipping work while Udon simply sighed at the antics of his best friends and hoped that somewhere Uzumaki Naruto was laughing with both mirth and approval.

_Author's Note_: This is just a little oneshot I have had floating around my head for a couple of years. It took me forever to finally take the time to sit down and write it along with a few other fics that I have been contemplating ever since I discovered and Naruto. I tried to make this oneshot as vague as possible on the fates of many of the characters, mainly because I am attempting to keep this fic close to the canon already established. Also, I felt that writing on the fate of many of the characters could bleed over too much into the other fics that I am working on which are going to be much farther removed from canon and closer to being au. I hope you all enjoyed it and would leave any reviews if you think that there are ways for me to improve my fictional writing style. – **Tyrchon** -,-


End file.
